Summer's Child
by BobWhite
Summary: The Belden's take in a child for the summer. Will they end up adopting her? Full summary inside. R&R 2 find out more.
1. Annabeth Jackson

**Full Summary:**

A new mystery has come to the BobWhites. A teen girl has come to live with the Belden's for the summer & is staying in the guest room. How do the Belden kids react to having her around during the summer? How does the teen react to being around a close knit family unit? Will they eventually end up adopting her? Will she finally have a home?

**Annabeth Jackson:**

**The Loser:**

Anna knew that nobody liked her, she knew this and yet she still tried to be nice to everyone and anyone she met. She was a child, orphaned at the age of six from a car accident that killed her parents and younger sister. She had been the sole survivor and in the process had lost a lung because of the internal bleeding she had sustained during the crash. Nobody seemed to want to play with her when she was growing up in the Group Home. And most people didn't want older kids when looking for a child to adopt. So when it came time for people to start looking for a child again, and she could always time it to the exact time of month, she would get the younger kids ready, making sure they were clean and well behaved before taking them to see their perspective new parents.

She was always helping out. Getting older meant that the orphanage and group home where she was frequently from one to the other month by month would need more people to help them with those perspective parents looking for younger kids to add to their families. Anna knew that she was too old to be adopted by people looking for younger kids. And the younger kids may not have liked her but they knew enough to know that if they were going to get adopted, it was Anna they needed to look to to help them get ready.

Anna had learned at an early age, shortly after the car accident, that when a child is injured, most people tend to overlook the child, thinking that they are not worthy of being adopted (not true, but in this story it is). She had had a family that was willing to adopt her until one of the nuns at the orphanage had mentioned the car accident and then they had said that they didn't want her anymore. She had remembered that day because it was the day she thought she was going to be getting a new family.

Now, being about fifteen and knowing that all she was ever going to get was either the orphanage or the group home, she was content on keeping the other kids in line as much as possible and making sure they were well behaved for the people that wanted to adopt them. That was until the parents of four came to the group home looking for an addition to the family. They told the nuns at the group home that they were looking for a girl about the age of fourteen or fifteen, a sister for the daughter they already had. The nuns told them to hang on and went to find Anna.

**The Belden's:**

Sister Rebecca came and called me to come with her. I was in my room which I had all to myself. The other kids weren't there long enough to get a room. But at the orphanage, I had my own room because I had been there the longest. She said that there was a couple at the group home (which was right across the street) that was looking for someone to spend the summer with there family. They were looking for a girl about fourteen or fifteen to be a sister to their only daughter.

We walked over to the group home together. Sister Rebecca was explaining to me that the couple wanted someone their daughter's age, someone she could get along with. Almost all of the kid's in the orphanage and group home were younger then twelve. There were a few kids older then me, but they were in foster homes already and weren't at the group home at the moment. We entered the office and I noticed that the family looked very nice. The people smiled at us as we walked in and then proceeded to introduce themselves.

"Hi, we're the Belden's. And you must be Annabeth. Sister Anne has told us a lot about you. We are sorry for how you got into the system but we would like to give this summer a try and let you come live with us for awhile. What do you think?" _Mr. Belden said._

"Yes, my name is Annabeth, but everyone calls me Anna. Annabeth is normally used by the Sisters when I'm not in the mood of listening or when I want some alone time and just wander off. The Sisters use it when they want to get me to pay attention. I would like to spend the summer with your family. It would be very pleasing to be out of the Orphanage and Group Home for the summer, no offense Sisters."

"None taken Anna, you deserve a summer away from everything here in the city. We'll help you pack up your belonging so you can take them with you. And if you decide to come back at all, your room will still be waiting."

"Thank you Sister Anne. You and the rest of the Sisters have always been so nice to me over the years. I don't know what I would have done had you not allowed me to stay and help out with the other children, though they have yet to appreciate my being around them."

"They aren't around long enough to get to know you the way we have Anna. You go have fun this summer, we'll be waiting when school starts back up." _Sister Rebecca said._

"I know you will. Let me go pack and we should be good to leave today, that is if you want to leave today?"

"We wish to bring you home with us today. Trixie and the boys are staying with the Wheelers till we get back. We told them that they could stay till Sunday, even though we were planning on being back tonight." _Mrs. Belden said._

"I see. Will they want me ruining there summer?"

"You won't be ruining it. As far as I can say, they will like having someone else around. A sister is all Trixie has ever wanted and that was even before the Wheelers moved in to be our neighbors."_ Mr. Belden said._

"Trixie must have a best friend who is a girl then if you are neighbors with the Wheelers."

"Yes, Honey is a very good friend to Trixie but we figured that Trixie would want a real sister, one who lived in the house with her instead of up the hill from her." _Mrs. Belden said._

"So they do not know that you are going to be bringing me home then. Will I not be a burden from the start if they do not know about me?"

"You are not going to be a burden, trust us; they will like you, though it may take a few days to get to know you and all." _The Belden's said together._

"I see. Then let me go pack and I'll be back in about twenty minutes."

"You don't need more time to pack?"

"The Sisters have paid me for odd jobs that I do around the Orphanage and Group Home and I normally buy odd things that I like. I did end up buying a portable laptop so that I could write my journal down and so the other kids couldn't look into my paper journal anymore. And I also bought some music that I like very much. But other than that, I have very little I need to pack."

"We see, well let us know if you need any help getting your stuff into the car. We'll wait here for you to come back."

"Thank you and I don't think I'll need help but thank you anyways. Sister Rebecca, will you help me please?"

"Of course, Anna."

Sister Rebecca and Anna left the Group Home and wandered back over to the Orphanage. Anna went straight to her room while Sister Rebecca grabbed some things from the kitchen. Sister Rebecca knew that Anna would want some of the recipes that she had used to make good food over the years for the younger kids. The recipes had come from the internet, and even though Anna wasn't Hindi, she seemed to love learning new and exotic recipes. Anna came out of her room with her backpack and a small duffel bag-the contents of her room-and met Sister Rebecca in the kitchen. Sister Rebecca handed the copied recipes to Anna who put them in her backpack, then the two headed back over to the Group Home after Anna locked the door to her room and pocketed the key.

Once over at the Group Home, the Belden's helped Anna with her stuff, told the nuns goodbye and drove off, back to Sleepyhigh with Anna in the back. Anna looked at the scenery as they drove, before falling asleep to some of the music she had in her CD player. Would the Belden kids like her? Or would they be like everyone else that met her?


	2. Crabapple Farm

**Crabapple Farm:**

**The Guest Room:**

Annabeth walked into the house after that long drive from the city. She had barely fallen asleep when Mrs. Belden had woken her up telling her that they were home. She looked around the farm and felt as if she could actually have a good time here. She had gotten out of the car and walked with the Belden's into there home. She looked at how quaint the house looked from her point of view. It wasn't that big being a farm house and everything, but she knew that she would have to make the best of it for the time being. Mrs. Belden showed her to the guest room and she walked in. there was a small desk where Anna could put her laptop and books. The desk had drawers where she could put her CD player and CD's.

There were bookcases as well and Anna imagined herself putting all the books that she would gather there. She would put picture frames there as well. Anytime she took a picture, she would put it into the picture frame, if it was any good. Anna was always trying to take pictures of just about anything. She remembered one time when she had taken a picture of a bunch of kids sitting around a table getting ready to do some kind of craft that the nuns had set out for them. The picture had come out perfect, as she had put the camera on the 'black & white' setting.

Mrs. Belden told her that dinner would be done within the hour and that if she wanted to, she could go out to the lake and see who was around. Anna nodded and Mrs. Belden left. She heard the woman go into the kitchen and call someone on the phone, probably her kids telling them to come home from wherever they were. She proceeded to put her clothes in the dresser; she put her laptop and camera on the desk and put her CD's, player and batteries in the drawers. She also put her key in the drawer so that she would not lose it. She moved to the book shelves and put some of her books on the shelf, putting the rock she had brought with her against the books so that they did not fall over.

When she was done, she got changed into some shorts and a tank-top and preceded out the door. She was surprised to see so many kids at the house. The kids were all talking at once, probably wondering why they had been called away from the fun. The little boy that didn't seem to be talking noticed her first. He was unable to say anything as the dog next to him started howling, as if someone was intruding in his space. Anna stopped walking and just stood where she was rooted, mostly from shock and a little from fear of what the dog would do. The dog was quieted when a curly haired blonde girl said, 'shut up Reddy!'. The kids turned around to see what Reddy had been barking at and came face to face with Anna.

**Meeting The Belden Kids & Friends:**

Anna just stood there, she didn't know what to say, let alone home to start even if she did. The little boy moved from the rest of the group and ran to her, hugging her legs in the process.

"I have a new friend to play with, yay!"

"Bobby, she's not your new friend. Who are you actually?"

"I'm, Anna…beth Jackson. Your parents invited me to stay the summer and I've agreed. I was headed to the lake if you don't mind."

"The lake is on our property." _A tall dark haired boy said._

"Oh, Jim she can go to the lake if she wants to. We just came from there. As soon as Miss Trask came and told us Trixie's parent's wanted them home we came with them. Miss Trask didn't seem to think it was just them that they wanted. I'm Honey by the way."

"Nice to meet you. Look I didn't mean to intrude or anything, but Mr. and Mrs. Belden promised me a summer away from the city and since I've never really been to the country, I couldn't deny the invitations. It sounded like fun and it was a good time to get out and try to be a little normal for once in my life."

"You're not intruding, honest. It just would have been nice to know that you were coming that's all."

"Yeah, moms and dad, it would have been nice."

"We thought it would be best to surprise you kids. Anna, this is our oldest son Brian, our daughter Trixie, her almost twin Mart and our youngest son Bobby. These are there friends Jim and Honey Wheeler, Dan Regan and Diana Lynch. They'll be your companions for the summer if you wish."

"It's nice to meet you all, but I think I need to be alone for a while. Don't worry, I won't go far. See you in a while."

**The Run:**

Anna grabbed her CD player and put her headphones in then headed out the door and down the stairs towards the lake, where she hoped was some peace and solitude from the ambush she had just been forced into. She knew that if she wanted to, she could go back to the orphanage whenever she wanted to, but hoped that she wouldn't have. Once on flat ground, she took off at a slow pace before quickening her pace. She needed to get her feelings out, yet running was the only way she knew how to do that. She had never really talked about her feelings to anyone, not even the Sisters, who had been like her family all those years the people of the city passed her over.

When she was tired, she stopped running and looked around her. She was in an unknown spot, but figured she could figure out how to get back. Her mind wandered back to when she had still lived with her parents and that unusual pet that they had let her take care of. She wondered if it was still living and wondered what it would do if they ever came in contact with each other ever again. She stood up again, after sitting on the ground for nearly twenty minutes collecting her thoughts and her breath. She put her headphones back in and turned to go back the way she came. Standing in front of her was a fully grown female cougar with three cubs behind her.

Anna pulled out the headphones and sank to her knees, keeping her eyes on the mother at all times. She never made eye contact with her but knew not to take her eyes away for fear she would be attacked. But something about this cougar seemed off. It was as if the cat was trying to show her something that she hadn't seen in the first place. The cat turned to her side, showing her something on her right flank and a smile spread across Anna's face. The sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance but Anna didn't care. Her friend had found her after all those years of being separated.

Anna ran to the cat and through her arms around her neck. The cat just stood there, letting it happen. The cat, once a domesticated cougar, had become wild after the car accident that took her best friend from her. She had grown to be a good mother and as Anna sat with the cubs and the friend she had grown to know as a sister when she was a child, the horse hooves came to a stop in front of her. The people on the horses dismounted and stood looking at Anna's smile and the animals around her. Anna stood up with a cub in her arms, looked down at her friend, then back at the Belden kids and there friends who had been tasked with the job of finding her.

"I would like to introduce you to Catori, my best friend when I was still living with my parents, before the car crash. We took her in as a cub and raised her till she was old enough to go back to the wild, but every summer, she would come back to our home and we would have fun together. After the crash, I never saw her again, but my thoughts stayed with her at all times. Can she come back with us?"

"I don't think moms is going to be too keen on letting a wild animal, let alone a cougar live with us in the house. No offense, but she should probably stay out here where she belongs."

"I see."

"But you could visit her whenever you want. I mean we're good at keeping secrets. Trust us; we know how to lie to our parents without them knowing that we are doing it. That's what friends do for each other. I mean if you really want to be friends." _Dan said._

"That would be great. And thanks for keeping the secret. If I knew Catori was out here all along I would have tried to get back to her. I raised her when she was a cub, she was like a sister to me, in the odd sense that it is."

"We know what you mean."

Anna put the cub down, bent down and hugged Catori once again before going over to Trixie's horse and being helped up. Catori seemed to know that these humans could be trusted with her sister and so she left. Before leaving, she left a mark on the tree that said that she would meet here everyday to see her sister. Anna had taught Catori how to make marks to say that she was near by when they were growing up together. Then the cat was gone and the group turned there horses around and headed back towards the Wheeler Estate and then Crabapple Farm.

**Worried Parents:**

Mr. and Mrs. Belden were sitting in the living room, waiting for the kids to come back with Anna. They hadn't known where Anna had run off to, but after four hours of her not coming back, they had sent the kids into the woods to try and find her. Hopefully they had been able to find her and would be on there way back. Bobby was asleep in his room as they did not want to yell at Anna in front of Bobby. The sound of footsteps on the porch brought the adults out of the revere and there eyes to the door.

Trixie opened the door and stepped through. They expected Anna to walk in behind her, but it was Brian they saw next with Anna in his arms. Trixie had her CD player in her hands. The adults were up off the couch and on there feet within a matter of seconds. Worry replaced the anger they had felt minutes before. Seeing Anna in Brian's arms meant that something must have happened. But instead of explaining, Brian stepped into the guest room and lay Anna on the bed, pulling a blanket over her shoulders, then stepped back out of the room, closing the door quietly.

"We found her in one piece mom. She was just sitting on the ground. Quite frankly, I think she didn't want to admit that she was lost. She fell asleep on the way back. She almost fell off the back of Trixie's horse because of falling asleep. She'll be fine." _Brian finished._

"Thank god. We thought something bad had happened. The nuns told us to keep an eye on her just in case something did happen."

"What do you mean mom?" _Trixie asked._

"The car accident that left her an orphan also took something from her medically, we mean. She only has one lung. We have to keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't overdo herself and to make sure that her medical status stays in check. We got the number for her doctor who surprisingly spends his vacations out this way. We'll get her checked out tomorrow to make sure she is really okay. He might want to know where she is staying for the summer anyways."

"You guys keep saying 'the nuns'. What are you talking about? I thought Anna was in a group home?" _Mart asked._

"She bounced between the group home and orphanage. She has her own room at the orphanage because she has been there for so long. if all goes well this summer, we will have her back next summer and then maybe we'll think about some other plans. But now, you kids need to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be the beginning of a new adventure for Anna and all of you."

"Yes mom, yes dad. We'll see you in the morning then."

Trixie, Brian and Mart went up to there rooms after talking with there parents. They all turned around at the top of the stairs to see there parents check in on Anna. All knew that what had conspired today probably would never happen now that they knew about Anna's medical problems, which just left one problem.

How were they going to get Anna back out into the woods to see her best friend if there parents were planning on watching her constantly? And what would happen if there parents figured out Anna's other secret, about the cougar? Would she be sent back to the orphanage, to be kept away from her best friend and the only real sister she has ever known!


End file.
